The Lagomorphic Reincarnation
by Sharks Potter
Summary: Neil Coyle is an ordinary police officer until he suffers a accident after which he wakes to find himself reincarnated in a rabbit's body. Armed with his superior human knowledge, he sets out to build a new life for himself. But can he truly fit in with the rabbits of Sandleford warren and win the heart of a certain doe? The story of a man in a rabbit's body against nature...
1. Chapter 1 Reincarnation

Disclaimer: With the exception of Neil Coyle and some other miscellaneous human characters, I do not own any of the characters from _Watership_ _Down_ and _Tales from_ _Watership_ _Down_, which are the creations of Richard Adams and Martin Rosen. Any similarity to anyone is purely coincidental. Rated PG for some violence in later chapters.

The sun shown brightly over the village of Kingsclere England, on that fine April morning in 1970. In the cool morning air that filled the streets, cheerful people attended to their daily duties, like any other day. Among them, a young man of around 25, wearing a police officer's uniform, was riding his bike down the main street, towards the police station. As he crossed the local pub, a bartender scrubbing the garden tables of his establishment, called out to him as he passed the pub.

"Morning, Neil!" the farmer called out and the young ginger-haired cop waved back, "Morning Hank!"

Officer Neil Coyle was the police deputy in Kingsclere; having grown up in the village, in contrast to most of his childhood friends, which had moved away to cities to study or marry, Neil felt far too attached to his hometown to give it up for a city life, despite the opportunities it presented. His father had been a local schoolteacher, who had been killed in a hunting accident when Neil had still been a child, when a careless hunter's bullet had found its mark in his chest. Neil's mother on the other hand, had been a mute, yet very intelligent and caring for her only son, having taught him sign language among other skills for the impaired. His friends consisted of locals, which he had grown up with, including the bartender Hank Sullivan.

After finishing his GCSEs, Neil had put in an application to join the local police force. Originally starting out as an office assistant at the station, he had soon proven to be capable of handling riots or assisting in emergencies (as far as emergency went in a village as small as Kingsclere), and had quickly risen in position, recently even having been promoted to rank of deputy. His life was just the way he liked it; simple, routine, with occasional brief action, but otherwise dull and peaceful.

He continued on his way, the pleasant breeze of the Hampshire countryside, blowing in his face. He was really hoping the Chief would grant him an early release tomorrow evening so he could observe the upcoming lunar eclipse with his girlfriend, instead of being stuck in his cramped office doing usual boring paper work. Just as he turned the corner of the street, heading towards the station, he spotted a familiar shabby-looking red van at the far end of the road, heading in his direction. It was moving very fast, at least eighty miles an hour, making violent manoeuvres as it went.

"Well Bob, hitting them booze again, haven't we dear boy? Another speeding ticket I believe."

He got off his bike, stood in the middle of the road and whistled at the teenage driver to pull over. Bob Sanders was the town's mechanic, as well as the champion drunk and speeder to boot. Twice before, he had been given tickets by Neil and his fellow officers for reckless driving under the influence of alcohol, but to no avail. "Strike three Bob. It's good-bye to your licence this time or it will be good-bye to someone's life next. Hey Bob, I said stop!" he shouted, but to his horror the van continued to speed straight towards him, without slowing down one bit. Before Neil could even register the fact that the drunken kid behind the wheel meant big business, the van was upon him.

With a terrible blow, the front bumper collided with Neil, sending him flying. With a painful bump, his head impacted hard with a nearby signpost, causing a severe cranial trauma. As he landed spread-eagled on the ground, the world around him begun to spin before melting away into darkness. The last thing he saw before everything dissolved around him into nothingness, was a splatter of his own blood clouding eyes and Bob's van speeding away down the road, its drunken driver laughing maniacally at having seemingly ridden himself of the nuisance that constantly ruined his fun driving. Pedestrians gathered and gasped at the sight of the bloodied and broken body of the now-comatose officer Neil Coyle.

After what seemed like forever, Neil opened his eyes, the scent of the dew filling his nostrils. He was no longer in Kingsclere; instead, he was lying on his stomach, in the middle of a grassy plain surrounded by forest. "Oh…what…where am I? How did I get here" Then it slowly all came back to him: Bob Sanders driving his van at breakneck speed and deliberately ramming him when he ordered the boy to pull over. Anger boiling inside him, Neil slowly sat upright, feeling nauseous, "I am going to kill that miserable little punk! When I get a hold of that no-good hooligan, I'll have him hung up by his buster-browns and dipped into one of those tubs of molasses he keeps in his shed. Oh Bob, I hope your bags are packed; it's court and prison for you!"

As he stood, he suddenly became aware that something wasn't right. All the surrounding vegetation seemed mysteriously large, making him feel almost like a dwarf. Also, his senses seemed somewhat different; his hearing felt much stronger than usual, his sense of smell could pick up scents at a much more sensitive level than he had ever experienced before and even his eyesight had turned colour-blind, with a different angle of view. And that wasn't all.

As he stared down at his 'hands', he realised, to his horror, there weren't hands any longer, but _paws_! He blinked, thinking he was hallucinating, but nothing changed. His hands had been inexplicably transformed into a pair of muscular, golden-brown furry paws. Carefully he studied his body and it soon confirmed his suspicions that he had changed entirely. He was furry all over and he could feel a pair of long ears sticking out the top of his head, as well as a fluffy tail out his backside. It was almost as if he was now…a _rabbit_!

"No, it can't be! No, this is just a wild dream, a hallucination caused by a concussion. Yes, that's what's happening to me. That boy Sanders really knows how to send people on a trip to Wonderland by running them over with his van. When I wake up, I'll just be my old self again, lying on a hospital bed…or at the bottom of a grave maybe." As if to defy his 'dream', the rabbit Neil curled up in the grass and drifted off to sleep. Little did he know that an ambulance back at Kingsclere had arrived at the scene of the accident and was loading his now broken and unresponsive human body onto a stretcher.

Several hours later, Neil woke again. As he stretched and looked around him, he realised, to his disappointment, he remained in a rabbit form. As he walked to the edge of a brook to drink some water, he saw his reflection: indeed, he was now a rabbit, a Flemish giant breed judging by his size and characteristics. All traces of his clothes had vanished, while bright brown fur, equivalent to his own hair colour, had replaced them. The only familiar characteristic remaining were his almond-coloured eyes and a curious tuff of fur between his ears that resembled his own untidy hairstyle.

Slowly, as the truth begun to sink in, puzzlement gripped him. "How did this happen? Is this a _reincarnation_? But how am I still maintaining my memories from my previous life?" As he studied his new body, he became aware that he could do physical manoeuvres that he couldn't do in his previous form. To test his limits, he broke into a run and had to refrain himself from gasping, as he saw the world move past him in a blink of an eye, faster than that of the best athlete. Although his situation was overwhelming and impossible to explain, it was still…wonderful. There was no other way to put it.

As he continued testing his new physique, he found that this peculiar combination of a human brain operating in a rabbit's body had other advantages. Suddenly, a realisation hit him. "If I am reincarnated in a rabbit's body, does this mean I can communicate with other rabbits? A rabbit with an educated human brain living amongst normal rabbits? By Jove, I could be running my own domain within a month!" he joked to himself, thinking what other rabbits would think of him now, "Whether this is just a stupid hallucination or is real, the wisest thing to do is take one logical step at a time and face things as they come along."

And so the rabbit Neil set off in a random direction in search of a warren and a chance to make a start with his new life. Without realising it, he headed straight towards Sandleford warren, the domain of the Thearah.

Author's note: Hallo, this is my very first fanfic! Please do read and enjoy. And please review! For any confused readers, this story was inspired by _Watership Down_ by Richard Adams and _A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court_ by Mark Twain. But instead of having a time traveller living in the middle ages, we have a human reincarnated into a rabbit, while maintaining his memories and knowledge from his human life. All reviews are appreciated and the more I receive the quicker I will update. Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2 A new life begins

As Neil walked across the English countryside, in search of a new home, he kept thinking about this unbelievable fate that had come upon him. It had been nearly a day since he had woken and found himself transformed, so he had settled with the fact that it was no hallucination and that now he was indeed a rabbit with a human brain. He had carefully gone over his memories as he walked, or rather _hopped_, along and found them all in just as good condition as they were before the accident with Bob's van that morning.

Although utterly shell-shocked at what he had become, Neil kept going over the prospect of meeting others like him, "Perhaps,_ this_ is what death is all about? Your soul moves on from one body to another, that of another species, like a big circle?" Although, given the circumstances of his situation, it seemed entirely possible, something didn't add up to his hypothesis, "But if there were more people out there reincarnated in animal bodies, someone would have seen something; certain animals acting mysteriously intelligent or something? No, what has happened to me must be unique…and I will figure out the answers if it takes me the rest of my life!"

Although this rabbit-incarnation experience was somewhat fun, Neil didn't take long to realise that being a rabbit was extremely difficult, filled with dangers and hardships. Only minutes after he had set off, he reached a road that (according to a signpost) led to Newbury. As he walked along, he spotted a jeep with hikers. But when he tried calling out to them, he found that they couldn't understand him of even hear him, while he could still understand them perfectly, not to mention much louder than normal, due to his enhanced hearing. When he tried to get a man's attention by nudging him in the leg, the hiker turned and stared at him, exactly the same way one would do at a wild rabbit.

"Say, look what we've got here boys; enough meat to feed a small army. Hand me the gun, Phil!" Upon hearing this, Neil bolted towards the woods, realising what the man had in mind: he meant to shoot him and cook him for dinner! Not a second later, a gunshot sailed over his head, narrowly missing him. After he was sure he had lost them, Neil curled up under a tree to rest. "No wonder wild rabbits fear humans so much; we aren't exactly friendly towards them."

By nightfall, Neil was hungry, exhausted and getting desperate. Since there were no restaurants around (not that he could dine at one in his current state), he had to try and find something edible from the surrounding vegetation. There were many scattered fruit trees about, but the fruit all hung from the branches, completely out of reach. Just as he considered resolving to chewing weeds to satisfy his hunger, he spotted the light of a farmhouse not too far away. "Right on time. Even humans can eat raw vegetables; for a _rabbit_ it's a primary diet." He headed off towards the farm, the scent of fresh vegetables filling his nostrils, "Splendid. Fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions, beetroots and cabbage; dinner is on the table, and free of charge!"

As he reached the boundaries, he took his time to inspect for snares, remembering how farmers, irritated at losing their precious vegetables, usually booby-trapped the boundaries of their farms to rid themselves of thieving animals. While for an ordinary rabbit it could be dangerous, for a human in a rabbit's body it was a synch. Neil didn't take long to spot a wire running along the lower length of the ivy-coated fence, rattling tin cans attached to it here in there, waiting to be disturbed and wake the farm dog that lay cooped up in its kennel at the far end of the garden. Neil's eyes lit up when he spotted the gate; the only thing holding it closed was the draw-bolt. If he could just reach up and turn the handle, he could simply walk in, help himself, and then walk out as if he owned the joint.

Just as he was about to jump and pull at it, he heard a fearful voice coming from close by. Startled, he looked around, expecting to see a farmer, but there wasn't a human in sight. Carefully, he listened until he heard it again, "Please, help me! Is anyone there?" The voice sounded fearful and coming from very close by. Neil hastily followed it along the perimeter of the farm, until he came to a narrow gap in the ivy hedge. Tangled in the bramble of vines was a young, fat, silvery rabbit that looked utterly miserable and scared. At if sensing Neil's presence, the large buck turned and spotted Neil's form against the darkness. "Toadflax? Holly? Pine Needles? Who's there?"

"Take it easy pal. I am here to help you. Hold still!" Neil got to work and started chewing at the thick vines that had snared the buck's hind legs. After a few minutes, the silvery rabbit was free. He turned to look at Neil. "You're Frith's messenger old chap. You reached out of His Brightness and got me out of this mess. Thank you." Although Neil didn't have a clue who Frith was, at the moment he couldn't give a damn, as he comprehended the fact that he was actually_ talking_ to a rabbit, just like he would with an ordinary person! Now that they were out of the shadows, he noticed although the buck was rather large in size, yet still smaller than him, he was quite young, no more that six months old.

"What's your name? My name is Silver," the buck went on, staring at Neil with wide eyes. Although he obviously saw Neil as another rabbit, a Flemish giant was a breed rarely imported to the UK, let alone found in the wild, so it was probably a bit overwhelming to see another rabbit this size, "It's a pleasure to meet you Silver. My name is Neil."

"Neil? That's an odd name," Silver commented as he and Neil sat down staring at each other. Seeing that his unusual abilities would soon come out, probably with unwanted consequences, Neil quickly made up a story, "I was born and raised in human captivity; my name master named me when I was still a kitten. Recently I managed to escape, hoping to return to the wild where my parents came from."

"So you've never lived outside a hutch?" Silver asked and Neil shook his head, "No, and I know nothing about warrens or life in the wild. Instead, my head is filled with knowledge of man, how he works, his weaknesses and everything he knows," he added, hoping to impress his new friend with something unusual, rather than being looked upon as a pitiful domesticated escapee, who didn't know how to fend for himself in the wild. Sure enough, it seemed to spark Silver's interest, who had apparently been attempting to raid the farm like Neil had, but without success.

"So…you know how to…" Silver asked hopefully, staring in the direction of the vegetable patch, "How to get past man's defences to steal food?" Neil finished for him, "Nothing could be easier pal. Come with me."

Neil led Silver to the garden gate. The gate wasn't very high, so Neil was able to stand on his hind legs and after a few tries, managed to grab hold of the handle and pull it down. The gate swung open and Neil led a rather weary Silver into the vegetable patch. Noiselessly, they dug up some rich bounty, Neil a lettuce and Silver a turnip, and then left the way they had come, completely unnoticed. After having put a safe distance between themselves and the farm, they settled down under some foliage to eat and rest.

As the two friends talked, Neil slowly begun to learn about the world of rabbits. He soon realised, to his utter bewilderment, that the world of rabbits was in fact made up of an entire culture, which went way beyond even the writings of R.M. Lockley, who was a leading expert in rabbits. According to Silver, rabbits had language, history, mythology and other factors also found in human culture. What Neil originally considered being mindless creatures that lived according to instinct, now he realised human cultures weren't the only ones on the planet.

He learned that a warren was ruled by a chief rabbit and was divided into four social classes: the Chief rabbit, the Owsla, which was the military force of the warren, the outskirters, which were the lowest ranking social class, consisting mostly of individuals that had little or no authority or power in the warren, and finally the does which, according to Silver, only served the purpose of being good mothers and diggers. When it came to knowledge, rabbits had some mythological-like history of the world being created by a sun-god called Frith, how He gave blessings to each creature, eventually making them different from each other and giving the race of rabbits many enemies (what Neil realised were predators) to control their overpopulation. According to Silver, the first rabbit created by Frith was called El-ahrairah, an equivalent to the Adam from the Christian Bible. This rabbit, whose adventures formed the basis of rabbit history, had become a legendary folk hero among rabbits.

Neil soon realised that, in contrast to the human world, rabbit culture, due to the absence of rabbits' quest for knowledge like humans, had remained almost entirely unchanged over time. As it turned out, Neil had discovered a world of intelligent creatures hidden within the human world. And, apparently, he was the first human with the privilege to explore it up close, yet lacked the ability of sharing it with other humans, since he was now cut out of the human world completely and probably, for ever.

That night, as the two friends lay down to sleep under the shelter of some bushes, in the hospital in Kingsclere, the doctors had just finished cleaning up Neil's broken human body. Although still alive, the police deputy was found to have suffered a severe cranial trauma and remained comatose and unresponsive. The doctors had patched up all his wounds and set his broken bones but his broken mind was beyond hope of repair.

The doctor came out into the waiting room and addressed Neil's friends that stood waiting anxiously. "People, I am afraid the news is bad. Although we managed to stabilise him, he has suffered severe brain damage. If he doesn't wake soon, then it is most likely he will remain a vegetable for the rest of his life. We shall have to transport him to the Coma Centre in Newbury for further healthcare."

The chief of police approached the doctor, "Do your best for him doctor. We are going to everything in our power to track down and arrest the bastard that did this to him. I already have several witnesses giving their statements, so we can identify that crazy van driver. If we can't help him, then at least we can see to it, that the criminal suffers for this!" Little did anyone realise that the surpassingly dead mind of the patient was in fact fully functional in a _new body_…

Author's note: Chapter two is up! Thank you RogueFanKC for letting me burrow some scenes of flashbacks from the CrossBearer to use in this story. Coming up next, Neil and Silver return to Sandleford, where Neil makes more friends…as well as enemies. Enjoy and please review so I can update. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3 Introductions and Arrested

It was late morning when Silver and Neil set off towards the buck's warren, Sandleford. According to Silver, who had been left for dead by his patrol, it was a day's trek to Sandleford. As they walked along, the two friends talked about their worlds and lives. Neil, who was growing more and more interested about this unknown rabbit civilisation, felt like an explorer who had just made the best discovery of all time. But as he walked along, he kept wondering if that discovery would die with him.

Silver was utterly fascinated by Neil's description of the human world, yet for some odd reason, seemed a bit wary of Neil, almost as if Neil's vast knowledge of man was taboo among rabbits. Neil, who was extremely vigilant from his career as an officer, was quick to notice his friend's uneasiness and asked Silver what was wrong. "Neil, I know this may sound harsh and believe me, I hate to say this, but you may find problems settling down in our warren." Neil frowned "Why? I don't mean any harm to anybody." Silver shook his head sadly.

"My uncle, who is the Chief Rabbit of Sandleford, horribly despises humans and everything associated with them. If it comes out about all these skills and information you have learned from them, he might order you into exile or worse, order you killed, since a former hatch rabbit is considered by many, the bringer of bad luck on a warren. You better be careful with how you act or whom you trust. In our Owsla, there are many who'd rat out on you for a promotion. However, I do have many friends among the outskirters, who we can trust." Although fairly reassuring, Neil felt rather uneasy at Silver's warning. Still, he had no choice but to chance it, or he'd most likely end up spending the rest of his life as a lone wanderer.

By noon, they reached a road. Out of habit, Neil proceeded to cross just like he would in his previous life, causing Silver to scream "Neil, no! Stop!" Alarmed, the lagomorphic man, expecting an attack or something spun round and saw Silver looking as if he expected his friend to drop dead at any moment "What's the matter? Silver?" The large rabbit seemed to ease up with relief, yet remained shocked "What were you thinking Neil? Striding onto a man trail like that? You're lucky you didn't get mowed down by a hrududu!" Neil looked puzzled "A hruloolu… what?"

"A hrududu Neil," corrected Silver "You know, those giant beasts that man uses? The ones with hard, shiny shells like tortoises and a foul smelling breath? Hrair creatures have been crushed to death because of these monsters! Don't you know about them?" Realising what Silver was talking about, Neil explained, "You are talking about automobiles, as man calls them. They aren't living beings, Silver. Man builds them and uses them to travel long distances in less time that what it would take on foot," he said with the best explanation he could think. Silver, however, still looked confused "But those…things only follow these strange trails. When an unaware rabbit tries to cross, it appears suddenly out of nowhere and squashes you like a cherry. This grey stone that marks he trail has a scent they…"

"Concrete," corrected Neil "The trail is called a concrete road and points the way from one human-inhabited area to another. It's like a giant spider web stretched across the world. All you have to worry about is the man driving the hrududu. I…my master was lost to one such irresponsible moron," Neil said, remembering it was in fact Bob Sanders' fault that he was completely cut off from the human world in the first place. Still, the experience of living as a rabbit was most exhilarating and he couldn't turn it back now, even if he wanted too. He turned back to Silver.

"To cross one of these, all you have to do is wait till you can't see or hear anything approaching from either side. Then, you just walk across normally; don't run if you can help it, in case to trip over and just stay alert until you are on the other side. Whatever you do, don't freeze at the sight of a car. Watch me." Confidently, he walked across while looking on either side for approaching traffic; he didn't fancy being reincarnated into another animal's body. He reached the other side "Alright Silver, your turn! Come on!" The oaf of a buck started crossing with much less reassurance than Neil. Yet he didn't lose his cool and, a minute later, was standing beside Neil on the other side. He turned to his friend, shell shocked "You're right; nothing to it."

They continued their trek and, by nightfall, they came to a meadow. Beyond the clearing was a thick forest. "Sandleford is on the other side," Silver said "If we hurry, we should reach my borrow shortly." By that time it had started to pour down with rain, as a storm commenced. Although Neil wasn't afraid of violent storms, he realised now, because of his more sensitive hearing, the thunder was echoing so loudly in his ears, he thought his eardrums would get busted. Combined with a painful headache and the cold rain that was soaking his fur, he was eager to find shelter quickly. Silver too, who was tired, hungry and scared from all the thunder and lightning was desperate to get underground.

They set off through the trees, cold water dripping down on them as they brushed passed the wet undergrowth. The flashes of lightning above the trees, was giving the forest a nightmarish-like look with the branches resembling skeletal hands. Suddenly, as they were nearing the other side, both rabbits heard a faint, yet frightened voice calling in the wind "Please, someone help me!" The voice sounded young and utterly frightened. Neil stood up on his hinge legs, carefully listening as to determine the direction from which it came. "Someone's in trouble Silver. I think the voice came from over there. Come on!"

Ignoring their weariness, hunger and fatigue, the two friends headed off back into the forest, seeking the source of the voice. To their dismay, the voice had stopped, making it impossible to find someone in that semi-darkness. Then Neil saw it; lying at the foot of a tree was a small, chubby-looking dwarf rabbit, much younger than either Neil or Silver. It looked unconscious, probably from shock and Neil didn't fail to notice its hinge paw was stuck in a crack between the roots and ground, snaring the small creature. Neil's heart melted as Silver caught up with him, gasping in shock. "By Frith, it's Pipkin. Is he dead?" Neil put his ear close to the dwarf rabbit's face; sure enough, he could hear the buck's steady breathing and feel his warm breath in his ear. "No, only unconscious. Hang on, let's get him out of there. Silver, grab hold of him and, when I say so, pull." Carefully grabbing hold of the root that had snared the rabbit's leg, he tugged at it.

Being a rabbit the size of a bulldog had its advantages, for after a few minutes of tugging and scrapping, the battered root tip came out, allowing Silver to pull the unconscious rabbit free. Unconscious and bruised but otherwise unharmed, the tiny buck lay on the ground before them, now free of its entrapment. Silver turned to Neil "Come, we'll take him to my burrow, you can rest there too. We'll go and see my Uncle in the morning." They carried Pipkin out of the woods, into a clearing. At the far end, Silver showed Neil into a burrow, at the foot of a tree. After Neil had squeezed through the narrow entrance, he found himself in a cavern-like chamber built right underneath the tree, just big enough for him to crouch in but wide enough for the three of them to fit in. Neil soon realised, his rabbit vision also gave him the benefit of seeing better in the dark, at least better than when he was human.

Settling the dwarf rabbit between them to warm him up, the two friends settled down to rest. "So I take it, you all know each other here in the warren?" Silver nodded "Yes, aside from having many acquaintances in the Owsla, many families are related through mating and distant cousins. My two closest friends, Hazel and Fiver have a cousin, Violet, is the stunning beauty here at Sandleford. You should see the look on my Uncle's face when he found out I actually managed to date her. By Frith, although he respects her for her healing skills, he thinks I am weak by caring for a doe, rather than the Owsla and warren, not to mention he is her guardian and wants her to mate with one of his so-call best officers, Toadflax." Neil didn't like the sound of Silver's uncle, especially since his future probably depended on the sympathy of this fellow, who apparently liked pulling the strings his way.

Soon, a faint moan was heard between them; Pipkin was stirring. Neil and Silver stared with relief as the small rabbit weakly opened its eyes, taking in its unfamiliar surroundings. As he spotted Neil, he gasped in shock, probably because of his massive size that gave him a rather fierce appearance. Before the buck could panic however, Silver spoke up "It's alright Hlao, you're safe now. Everything is fine."

"S…Silver? How…how did you find me? Your patrol came back and said you were…by Frith, am I dead?" Silver bent over him "No Hlao, we are both very much alive, thanks to my new Frith-sent friend here," he said gesturing at Neil. Pipkin turned to stare at the large rabbit again in amazement. "Who are you? Where do you come from?" The young buck's voice was so lost and innocent, making Neil feel instant adoration for him.

"My name is Neil, young lad. I am an escaped hutch rabbit seeking a new life in the wild," Neil answered, using the same cover-up story he had told Silver. The tiny buck having gotten over the shock of seeing a giant rabbit and realising Neil was friendly, nuzzled close to him, probably in gratitude for getting him out of that nightmare of a fix he had landed himself in. Neil gently patted the small creature between the ears, with a loving affection. Although a bit surprised by Neil's unusual gesture (rabbits don't use patting to soothe someone, they nuzzle), he accepted it gratefully, muttering "Thank you, thank you."

"Any time lad, any time," Neil replied softly at the adorable dwarf rabbit that huddled beside him. Silver was smiling fondly at the two, impressed by Neil's loving heart. As their conversation went on, the three friends finally drifted off to sleep, huddled close together to keep warm.

***

Neil slowly stretched and opened his eyes, the fresh breeze of morning and the heat of the sunlight pouring in through the burrow entrance. As he looked around him, he realised there were more unknown rabbits in the burrow with him, staring at him in amazement. Most of them seemed rather young, teenage rabbits on the verge of adulthood. "Just great," thought Neil "I haven't even been introduced to this new world and I already have fans asking for my autograph!"

As he got to his feet, he spotted Silver and Pipkin having a heated conversation with these new rabbits. As they realised Neil was awake, they gathered around him, all the while excitedly asking questions. Silver and Pipkin also joined in with the other rabbits that were talking excitedly to Neil, who was getting more and more overwhelmed by this new world he was living in.

Despite the fact that the rabbits were all very friendly, it wasn't easy for Neil to answer their questions straightforward, being nearly ignorant with all these unfamiliar rabbit terms. Although his ears and brain allowed their words to be audible to him, their English-sounding language contained a lot of unknown words, making following the conversation a bit difficult. Thankfully Silver and Pipkin stood by his side, helping him best they could.

Soon Neil was introduced to the other rabbits, which all turned out to be outskirters, friends of Silver's. Hazel and Fiver were two young litter rabbits that seemed bonded to each other. Fiver, who was the runt in the litter and thus, was much smaller than his brother, seemed to possess some mysterious far sight, which gave him a rather nervous nature. Although very friendly, he stared at Neil with wide eyes that seemed to be bigger that his head, giving the lagomorph man the creeps. Hazel, on the other hand, was a patient and confident buck with a warm heart and kind nature. Dandelion was a slim, golden brown buck, who was a talented storyteller, very popular among the outskirters for his knowledge in rabbit mythology. He reminded Neil of a talented artist, whose mind tends to wonder off all the time.

From the other newcomers, Neil was also introduced to two other buck friends of Dandelion's, Hawkbit and Blackberry. The greyish black buck called Hawkbit was a rather short-tempered rabbit with a sarcastic nature, yet seemed a very likable sort. Blackberry was a buck with curiously black-tipped ears and an intelligent face. Finally, Neil was introduced to a beautiful doe with stunning blue eyes and a very kind nature. As Neil suspected, she was Hazel and Fiver's cousin as well as Silver's love interest, Violet.

"It's a honour to meet you Neil. Silver told me what happened; thank you for saving him. It really means a lot to me, to all of us," the young doe smiled warmly, making Neil's heart pound faster that usual "Least I could do, Violet. I wouldn't hesitate for one second to help out a fellow rabbit in trouble." Violet and the other bucks smiled at Neil's courage. Suddenly, a disturbance at the burrow entrance caught their attention. Out of the corner of his eye, Neil saw another rabbit turn and bolt from the burrow entrance. Apparently, he had been listening in, but had fled when been noticed.

Silver and the others rushed to the exit, where they saw the other rabbit sprinting towards the trees and into another burrow. Silver cursed "It's that miserable little hraka Toadflax, who left me for dead. He must have picked up my scent and came to investigate. My Uncle will soon learn I smuggled a hlessi into the warren."("Oh great, now we're all in trouble," muttered Hawkbit.")

"Neil, you must get out of here fast. The Owsla is probably underway right now. Go and we'll keep them busy." Although sensing the urgency in Silver's voice as well as the worried expressions on the other rabbits' faces, Neil stood his ground "No, I won't turn back now; I will be left a lone wanderer again. I'll take my chances of meeting your Chief."

"Neil, you don't know my Uncle. He dislikes hlessis, especially since I smuggled you through the boundaries of the warren. Even if we convince him that you aren't a spy, he'll find some other excuse to drive you out of the warren or worse, have you killed. That coward Toadflax, as well as many others would think up any lie to persuade him that you're a threat. Please, go while you still can."

Neil smiled at the chubby buck "Trust me Silver, I have great experience with dealing with the likes of them. It's worth the risk and I'll take the responsibility, if things don't turn out." Although, being a cop in his previous life, have given him plenty of experience in dealing with such matters, Neil did feel a bit uncertain of his decision. But before Silver and the others could argue any further, a squad of Owsla troopers appeared, surrounding them. Neil could see the buck called Toadflax among the troopers smirking triumphantly. Another buck, with grey fur and a good built, that seemed to be in change, stepped forward, facing Neil "Stranger, you are under arrest for trespassing across the warren. You can come along quietly or attempt to resist. Speedwell, Buckthorn, take him!"

Neil was about to protest as the two rabbit troopers surrounded him, another burly officer with an incredibly strong built that outmatched everyone else's and a curious patch of fur between his ears, cut him off "You heard captain Holly, chap. Move it! You can save your explanations for the Thearah," he growled, in a rather menacing tone.

Captain Holly raised a paw to silence him "Order Thayli. I think he will come along without arguments, won't you stranger?" he glared at Neil who nodded with a frown. Before walking away with Neil, Holly turned to the downcast outskirters. "You lot are confined to quarters until further notice. Silver, you come along so you can explain about this hlessi friend of yours."

As they marched off towards the Thearah's burrow, Silver kept thinking over and over, "Neil has no idea what the Thearah is like. How, in Frith's name am I going to persuade my Uncle to let Neil stay?" Staring at the smirking faces of his fellow Owsla troopers, Silver knew it was a bad sign for both of them. Neil, on the other hand, walked calmly towards his fate, while carefully making plans in the back of his head.

Author's note: Hallo there, my beloved readers! Sorry for the lateness of my update, but I was focusing on 'New World' first. Don't worry, I haven't given up on this story! Thank you RogueFanKC, for allowing me to use a few flashback scenes from the CrossBearer to form the plotline of this story. All the rabbits are just like they are seen in the movie, TV series and the book. In contrast to New World, Neil doesn't know the future so we don't know how his presence will affect the outcome of the story. The part with Violet being Silver's love interest was inspired from a scene in the movie, just after Violet died, when Silver seems to be the most saddened in the group. Enjoy and please review so I can update faster!


	4. Chapter 4 Be Cunning and Full of Tricks

The Owsla led Neil into another burrow, which seemed to lead into the very heart of the warren. They marched through passageways and around corners, until they came to some sort of chamber that seemed to be built right underneath a tree. The thick roots overhead seemed to provide the support for the ceiling. Just as Neil was wondering how many extraordinary things were hidden from the eyes of man, captain Holly cleared his throat and addressed a large, elderly rabbit with pale whiskers and eyebrows that sat in the far end of the chamber, facing the crowd.

"Thearah, we caught this hlessi trespassing into the warren. Sir, this stranger has a scent of man about him," said Holly sharply and Neil heard many of the other rabbits in the burrow muttering nervously to each other. Then he understood what the fuss was all about: it was the human scent that had come upon him when he tried to approach those two campers earlier. His mind flashed back to something his late game warden of a father had told him as a child "Don't touch a wild animal, unless it's necessary. If more of its kind pick up our scent on it, they could hurt it in self-defence. Tamed animals and wild animals rarely mix well together, mainly because of that." Neil silently cursed under his breath, realising he had foolishly and unknowingly brought a danger upon himself without even realising it!

Sure enough, the Thearah narrowed his eyes at Neil and spoke in a cold tone, "In that case we must deal with this troublemaker at once, before he brings a calamity upon us all. Captain Holly, you and Thayli take the prisoner out and kill him; after you're done, drag him out of the boundaries and leave him for the elil. Take him!" The burly officer called Thayli grabbed a mouthful of Neil's neck skin and roughly, dragged back towards the exit.

"Hold it! This isn't bloody well fair!" Neil protested, "I didn't harm anybody here!" The Thearah looked at him coldly "That's right, you haven't harmed anybody and I won't wait until you do. That cursed scent of man you're infected with, is the sigh of a calamity, a destruction that may fall upon us!" he growled, looking at Neil with intense hatred, as if he were some diseased creature with a deadly plague.

"What destruction? I don't intend any destruction!" Neil replied, frowning at the Chief Rabbit's medieval sense of judgement. The aged rabbit continued to glare at him "Man is a deadly threat upon rabbits and so is everything associated with those low-life creatures that bring suffering and misery upon our kind, you fool. I will not endanger my warren by tempting the Black Rabbit with such taboo." Before Neil could protest again, Silver stepped in.

"Uncle, this fellow saved me and Hlao-roo from possible death, when Toadflax deliberately left me behind to die! Are you willing to just ignore it? Neil is an escaped hutch rabbit and knows a lot about the human world; his skills could be very useful in the Owsla…" Silver protested, causing the Thearah to lose his temper.

"Silence, you insolent fool! You think I don't know what happened; you were out of order by landing yourself into that foolish situation that could have endangered the others, you clumsy oaf of a rabbit. And then you smuggle some unknown hlessi into the warren to impress me!? How dare you! The two of us will be having a stiff talk once we are done with your large friend here."

"But Uncle…" Silver tried to push the matter further, but his uncle had heard enough. "SHUT UP!" he roared "Consider yourself out of the Owsla where you belong and, as for your newfound friend, he dies at ni-Frith today. Take him away!" Silver felt tears form in his eyes, as he saw Neil being dragged away by Bigwig and Holly. "And it's Thearah to you, when you address me," he pitiless uncle continued, watching his Owsla drag the prisoner away, who surprisingly didn't struggle.

As the two burly veterans dragged Neil out, the lagomorphic man couldn't find the desire to struggle against his captors. Not that he could probably shake them off in a struggle, being larger than either of them, but because, even if he managed to escape, he'd find himself a lone wanderer again with nowhere to go. "Better face death, than a lifetime of misery and loneliness," he reasoned to himself as they led him along. "Besides," he thought "maybe this is my only chance of returning back to human form again. Maybe, when they struck the fatal blow, I will wake up and find out all this was just a wild dream caused by that Sanders boy."

They exited the burrow and the three marched towards the boundaries of the warren, where, Neil reasoned, they would execute him and then discard his body to decompose. "Perhaps the effect of the dead is known among rabbits," Neil thought grimly, "so they are taking me at a safe distance from the warren to carry out the order." As they passed the outskirts of the warren, Neil saw some of the outskirters he had befriended earlier, looking at him sadly as the Owsla led him towards his doom. Neil only smiled back encouragingly, hating to watch the sadness on their faces.

Suddenly, as they reached a clearing a short distance from the warren, something caught Neil's attention. The noon sun, shining brightly overhead in the clear sky, seemed to be turning dim. A peculiar shadow, seemed to be eating away at the solar disk, like a drop of ink on the edge of a paper. "It's the eclipse," Neil muttered, remembering Hank's words. "It looks like the old chap got his terms mixed up again; it's a total _solar_ eclipse, not a _lunar_ eclipse." Then, he became aware that Holly and Bigwig had stopped moving and were staring dumbstruck at the dimming sun, with expressions of fear.

"By the Black Rabbit of Inle, what's happening to Frith? Why is He turning so dark? Is He dying?" Holly gasped, while Bigwig continued to stare that this new phenomenon, his jaw dropped. As Neil was about to warn them not to stare at the sun, a series of faint growls echoed from the surrounding woodland. "Strange…" thought Neil, as he recognised the growl of a badger "what are night hunters doing above ground in the middle of the day?" Then answer suddenly hit him like a bullet in the head "The eclipse is confusing the animals, making them think it is nightfall," he gasped, staring at the now semi-darkened sky. "The place will soon be swarming with predators and there are rabbits out in the open!"

"Listen to me!" he shouted, bringing the two Owsla veterans out of their trance. "You need to get back to your Chief and warn him, to get everyone below ground immediately or they'll be attacked!" The two rabbits stared at him. "What are you talking about? Do you know, what in Frith's name, is going on here?"

"The moon is passing across the sun, all right? The blackout is causing predators to believe it's their hunting hour. You've got to get everyone below ground, before…" Suddenly, some screams of terror echoed from the direction of the warren. Then followed a familiar yell of pain from an injured rabbit "That's the Thearah; we're under attack!" shouted Bigwig "Come on!" Taking their minds off Neil completely, the two veterans rushed back to defend their warren. Neil hesitated for a second, but followed suit.

Arriving back at the boundaries of the warren, a horrible sight met their eyes; half a dozen burly badgers, influenced by the eclipse, were viciously attacking the warren, having stumbled across easy prey on their hunting parade. Owsla bucks were rushing two and fro, helping does and their young to the safety of their burrows. Others were trying to tackle the attackers with little success, since the badgers were larger and extremely bloodthirsty. With a roar, Bigwig and Holly instantly sprang into action, joining in the fight, only to soon be overpowered by the enemy. The badgers were ruthless and, in the confusion, Neil noticed one close in on the Thearah, who had been trying to defend his warren. The elderly rabbit had been knocked down and seemed to have hurt his leg, since he seemed unable to stand and run. In the background, Neil also noticed with disgust, that Toadflax fellow, that had turned him in, bolt for the nearest borrow, completely ignoring his Chief who was about to be mauled to death.

Forgetting the fact that this rabbit had ordered his death, Neil also sprang into action, the same way he would in a street riot. Although, he hadn't yet tested his fighting skills in this new body, he found that even as a rabbit, most of them seemed to work well. Using the same kung fu techniques he once used on the fighting arena, he took on the large badger and was soon caught in a furious fight. The angry animal, although sensing a dangerous and stronger opponent from Neil's size, as well as from the human scent that he carried, the hungry badger wasn't about to give up so easily.

Like a deranged hound, it sprang at Neil, attempting to snap his neck in its jaws. Anticipating the move and his mind working out the right physical manoeuvres, Neil head-butted his opponent straight in the face, causing it to start bleeding badly as the blow caused its jaw to fracture. Not waiting for it to get another chance to strike back, Neil stood on his forepaws and struck his injured opponent in the ribs with his hinge lags, causing fatal internal bleeding, as the badger's broken ribs punctured its lungs. As the mortally wounded animal crawled away, Neil saw Silver pull his injured uncle into a burrow.

However, there was no time for him now, for the rest of the pack, seeing one of their number fall, had all teamed up against the primary adversary. As the four remaining badgers approached Neil, the lagomorphic man carefully observed their every move, until they had surrounded him for the attack. Just as they struck, Neil made a giant leap, flying right over the head of the one approaching him from the front, pinning the confused badger to the ground. With a quick swing of his hinge legs, the one approaching from behind was violently knocked backwards and its head impacted with a stone, killing it instantly.

As the third one struck, Neil, still keeping the first badger pinned beneath him with his massive weight, raised his forepaws in the same position as in a boxing ring and struck a blow right in the face of the charging enemy. Although his forepaws were no longer the muscular arms he had as a human, it didn't prevent his razor-sharp claws from puncturing though the animal's eyes and then its brain, like a lance. Unfortunately, the forth one had sneaked up from behind and suddenly pounced on Neil's back, viciously slashing and biting at him.

Riddled with pain, Neil tried to shake off the savage beast but it hang on tightly, its claws cutting deep into Neil's skin. Just as he thought he had lost the fight, he suddenly felt something heavy knock the remaining badger off him. Ignoring the treacle of blood running down his face, Neil weakly raised his head and saw Bigwig, Holly and some of the outskirters subdue the badger. The other badger that Neil had pinned down had come free and was fleeing towards the woods.

Bleeding and exhausted, Neil sunk to the ground, just as the surrounding rabbits rushed to his aid. He only had a second to register the sun pass from the shadow of the moon, before his last ounce of strength left him and he passed out. The twilight of the eclipse disappeared and the sun's rays fell upon Neil's unconscious form, as he lay injured in the grass, breathing heavily. Most of the Sandleford rabbits, including most of the Owsla, seeing the danger pass had gathered around him, staring with pity at the stranger that had just saved their warren.

The Thearah, supported by Silver limped up to Neil. "Take him to the nearest burrow and get the healer rabbit at once," he ordered. As the Owsla obeyed, he turned to stare angrily at Toadflax who gulped "You will live to regret that cowardice of yours!" he growled. Toadflax trembled; having run from the fight and leaving his Chief to die had been a terrible mistake.

Author's note: As you probably guessed, this chapter is a combination inspired from "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" and from the story of Stonecrop in "Tales from Watership Down". The part with Neil taking on four badgers on his own, comes from the fact that he uses human kung fu, something the Sandleford Owsla are unfamiliar with…Neil's human knowledge is proving it's uses! Coming up next, another talk with the Thearah and the making of more friends…and enemies. Will Neil finally be accepted among the Sandleford rabbits? Enjoy and please review so I can update faster. Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5 Officer Neil of the Owsla

Weekly and painfully, Neil opened his eyes and found himself underground again. From the feeling of the straw bedding beneath him, he realised he was in a burrow, probably Silver's. Despite feeling reasonably healthy, he could feel sore scratches on his back and shoulders, where the badger had mauled him. Blinking slightly to get his bearings, he tried to stand upright, only to bump his head on the ceiling, as the burrow was meant for a rabbit half his size.

Suddenly, he felt a paw gently touch him on the shoulder and a soft, female voice whisper into his ear "Easy now. You're still injured. Lie down and try to get some rest." Turning, he saw Violet smiling at him, as she held a pawful of what appeared to be chewed burdock against a particularly nasty bite on Neil's injured shoulder. "Violet, what…what happened? Where are those badgers? Is anyone else hurt?"

"No, everybody is unharmed…thanks to your bravery handsome," she said, causing Neil to blush red under his facial fur. "The whole warren is buzzing about what happened. By Frith, that's the bravest thing I've ever seen a rabbit do…and the craziest!" Neil chuckled mildly as the doe tended to his wounds. Although not as good as professional medical aid, Violet really knew her job for the wounds seemed to be healing well. "Where is Silver? Is he alright?"

"Yes, he is taking with the Thearah. Poor old fellow has a swollen leg but is on the road to recovery."

"Does the Thearah still want me put to death by the Owsla?" asked Neil, remembering that the old rabbit was in his dept, for saving his life and warren. Violet giggled "After what you've done for us today? Everyone wants you to stay and become one of us," said the young doe and Neil felt his hopes rise "Well, almost everyone; that stuck-up snake of a rabbit, Toadflax is blaming you for being demoted from officer to foot soldier because he run from the fight." As the two young rabbits chuckled at Toadflax's folly, Silver entered.

"Glad you're finally awake Neil. What were you thinking, you duffer? Taking down four fully-grown lendril on your own? By the Black Rabbit of Inle, why do something so dangerous in favour of a Chief Rabbit that ordered your demise? And don't tell me it was just for the sake of nobility," the large rabbit said sharply, yet Neil could see admiration in his eyes. "No Silver, it wasn't for nobility," Neil chuckled, shaking his head "It was just because I couldn't just stand by and watch those monsters take you down one by one. Your uncle may have the sense of judgement of a snail, but you and your outskirter friends are the only friends I have in the world. Would you turn your back on them, if you were me?"

Silver smiled at his friend's bravery and caring "No, I suppose not. Anyway, I had a talk with my uncle and he finally changed his mind about wanting to get rid of you. I guess he didn't have much choice anyway; there were hrair rabbits protesting on your behalf. He asked me to inform you that he wishes to have a word with you, once you've recovered. Don't worry…" he said, seeing Neil frown "you are no longer in danger from the Owsla; he and captain Holly reassured me of that."

***

Later that afternoon, Neil felt most of his strength return. The wounds had all stopped bleeding, aside from a certain amount of ugly scarring that remained, but would eventually fade. Thus, he found himself escorted to the Thearah's burrow again by captain Holly, who had paused to thank him for his warning beforehand as well as offer his apologies, which Neil accepted gracefully.

As they entered the Thearah's chamber, Neil saw the elderly Chief Rabbit of Sandleford curled up on his straw bedding expecting him. The Owsla officers were also assembled, chattering to each other in confusion. The Thearah turned to stare at Neil, however this time without the expression of hatred he had shown earlier. Neil stood firmly, waiting for the Thearah to speak, the same way he did when his former boss, the Chief of Police in Kingsclere had promoted him to deputy. The Thearah cleared his throat and spoke.

"Stranger, when you first came to my warren, I believed you to be a menace to my people, due to your incredible size and the scent of man that you carry upon you. However, after what you've done on our behalf, you have proved me wrong; you are indeed no threat to us and you mean no harm. Therefore, as an apology for my harshness as well as a token of gratitude for saving my warren, I will grant your wish of accepting you among us," the Thearah said with a faint smile on his aged face.

"Also, my captain of Owsla, after observing your outstanding fighting skills, has decided to offer you a position as officer in the Owsla," the Thearah continued and Neil saw captain Holly nod in agreement. Apparently they thought a rabbit trained in human kung fu would be a useful asset among their troops," Neil thought to himself. "Especially since one particular officer has been demoted for a cowardly neglect of duty," the Thearah went on in a rather colder tone as all they turned to stare at Toadflax. The mean-looking buck seemed to be burning with sulking rage, as he turned to stare at his Chief and captain of Owsla.

"You choose to demote me over a man-influenced hlessi?" he shouted and captain Holly's eyes flashed dangerously "You mind your tone with your Chief Rabbit, young bucko!" The Thearah frowned at Toadflax "This demotion is more lenient than what you deserve; an Owsla officer running from the fight while defending his warren is completely inexcusable! Apparently, you still aren't ready to assume the duties of an honourable officer. Therefore, you are demoted to trooper until you're ready to earn the title of officer again." Toadflax looked furious.

"And how can you expect an escaped hutch rabbit, who hasn't been out of a hutch in his life, to have better experience?" he spat. "The Thearah's tone turned frosty at this remark "I've made my decision Toadflax. Now, if you have an Owsla honour, you accept your punishment and remain in the Owsla as a trooper. Unless, if you prefer to be removed from the Owsla completely?" Toadflax looked about to explode but said nothing, as he stood glaring at both Neil and Silver. The Thearah turned back to Neil.

"So, as I was saying, welcome to Sandleford warren, officer Neil!" The lagomorphic man nodded in gratitude "Thank you Thearah, I am truly honoured to be admitted into your warren." The Thearah nodded in approval.

***

Later that evening, after Holly and Bigwig had briefed Neil on his duties as Owsla officer (Silver had been reinstated in the Owsla troops shortly after Neil had joined the Owsla), Neil was dismissed with the notice of assuming his new duties the following day. His task complete, Neil, Silver and Violet went off to join the outskirters.

Hazel, Fiver, Pipkin, Dandelion, Blackberry and Hawkbit, all congratulated Neil for becoming a new member of Sandleford and all were eager to learn how he had managed to tackle the badgers on his own. At the news of Toadflax's demotion, the outskirters all burst into laughter, thoroughly amused at the news of the bullying Owsla officer loosing his prized rank, which allowed him to bully outskirters for his amusement. The sulking rabbit had retreated to his own burrow, on captain Holly's suggestion, to ease off his boiling temper. On the other hand, Neil was feeling happier that he had in days; he had finally found himself a new home, new friends and had even assumed a position that best matched his skills. Although, he knew that the Owsla wouldn't be the same as in the police forces, it was the best he could ask for at this point. Right now, his future as a rabbit looked promising…

Author's note: Another chapter complete! Neil has finally found a new life for himself. But this is only the beginning for him…Life isn't as easy as it looks, after all! Stay tuned for the next chapter, as we approach the time of Sandleford's destruction. And meanwhile, Toadflax seeks revenge…


	6. Chapter 6 The Lagomorphic Man

Just as he had expected, Neil's new life proved to be an extraordinary challenge. Immediately after taking up his duties as Owsla officer, he was assigned many army-style tasks including sentry, scouting, night patrol and even raids at local farms. His human knowledge was soon revealed and had surprisingly impressed all his fellow officers and troupers. Even the stern captain Holly couldn't help but being impressed, for their rate of success had suddenly gone sky-high. Only on his third day at Sandleford, he had accompanied captain Holly, Silver, Bigwig, Speedwell, Buckthorn, Scabious, Toadflax and Walnut, a buck that was Hazel and Fiver's father, on a raid back at the same farm where he had first met Silver.

Upon arriving at the hole in the hedge where the patrol had stolen flayrah last time, Neil had immediately stepped in, telling them he had a better way. Although sceptical of Neil's peculiar motives, Holly had ordered the troopers to follow Neil. The lagomorphic man had led the confused group of rabbits towards the gate that led to the vegetable patch, away from the sleeping hound that lay in its kennel. Holly and the others watched dumbly as Neil stood on his hinge legs and, after a few tries succeeded in unfastening the brass bolt. The rabbits all gasped in surprise when Neil stood back down, gave the gate a light push and it swung open, revealing a patch of fresh flayrah, just waiting for them.

Noiselessly, the group entered and started helping themselves to the vegetable patch, while the dog remained oblivious, the distance preventing it from picking up their scent. After Neil had warned them to stay within a safe distance from the sleeping dog and stay silent, he and his patrol had engaged in what would have been a long and pleasant feast, if it hadn't been cut short a few minutes later. Toadflax and his closest friend Scabious, both jealous and hateful of Neil and his abilities, had wondered off close to the hedge to have their fill of some better flayrah. Whether it was out of stupidity or intentional nobody ever knew, but they had suddenly brushed against one of the wiring of the fence, making a noise and causing the hound to stir.

In a minute, the raid was interrupted, as the Owsla seized whatever bounty they could carry and bolted for the gate, as they dog sprang across the garden towards them. Neil paused for a moment as he pulled the gate shut, cutting them off from the dog. After having caught their breath, Toadflax had started arguing that Neil had endangered them with his 'insane tricks', only to receive a tongue lashing from an irritated Bigwig for interrupting his meal, as well as a sound scolding from Holly, who had noticed him ignore Neil's warning. Back at Sandleford, Toadflax and Scabious had received yet another scolding from the Thearah, further diminishing Toadflax's reputation. This, undoubtedly, further increased his hatred of Neil.

After the Thearah had received his requested bounty and the Owsla had distributed their own shares among them, Neil had retreated to join the outskirters, bringing some flayrah to share with them. Although Neil knew the Thearah and many of the Owsla officers rather disapproved of his company, it was no crime befriending outskirters, thus they didn't trouble him for it, although Toadflax had given him a few jibes every once in a while. The spiteful rabbit, whose jealousy of Neil had reached breaking point, had often resulted in many mean, but luckily unsuccessful attempts to discredit the lagomorphic man. Although Neil was patient, Toadflax had gone over the edge more than once, forcing Neil to settle matters personally. One particular event had taken place only a few days after the fiasco with the raid.

Neil was on his way to visit Hazel and Fiver, when suddenly he heard a commotion coming from behind the brambles, where one of the guard posts was. As he listened, he recognised Pipkin's squalling voice "Please, let me go!" A cruel sadistic voice answered, "Oh, come now old chap! I thought you'd be happy that you're receiving some attention from the real rabbits, you weak little pygmy!" Anger boiled inside Neil, as he recognised Toadflax's voice. A second cruel voice, which Neil recognised as Scabious's, laughed as Toadflax went on speaking "You know, it is an honour, just to gain the interest of real bucks like us. Your parents weren't so interested after all…Isn't that why they let themselves be taken by that weasel?" The two Owsla soldiers laughed, as Pipkin shred alligator tears, guilt building up inside him. "They knew you would turn out a good-for nothing field mouse and decided to take their own lives, that have to endure a lifetime of disgrace you caused them! You killed them you weakling!" They both laughed cruelly, enjoying the torment.

At that moment, Neil appeared through the bushes and saw Scabious sitting on Pipkin, nearly squashing him, while Toadflax amused himself by tormenting the small rabbit with his cruel remarks. With a roar of rage, Neil sprang forward and grabbed Scabious by the scruff of his neck, violently pulling him off Pipkin and throwing him aside. Toadflax froze, as Neil towered over him, his eyes glowing red with rage. Pipkin, free of Scabious's suffocating weight, quickly run to hide behind Neil, while the lagomorphic man continued to glare at Toadflax "Having fun?"

"Well, we were just…" he muttered nervously, as Neil asked again in a cold voice "I said, were you having fun? So, tormenting others smaller than you is your favourite sport? Well, let's see if you have the guts of taking on someone larger," he growled stepping forward "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" he asked coldly as Toadflax was struck dumb with fear "You just said you're a real rabbit, I presume? Well, a real rabbit doesn't just stand like a pencil neck, cowering. Where is your so call real courage, huh?"

"Another time," Toadflax answered hastily, torn between picking a fight with a rabbit twice his size or let Neil have the satisfaction "I…I have sentry duty now," he muttered angrily, realising it would be pointless to argue. Neil raised his eyebrows "Well, be off and attend to your duties before I attend to you!" he growled menacingly, striking Toadflax across the face. The two Owsla rabbits bolted, as Neil turned to his dwarf friend "You're alright, lad?" he asked kindly, as the dwarf rabbit nuzzled close to him "They were right; I am to blame for my parents' deaths," he wept, alligator tears rolling down Neil's shoulder. Seeing what the two rabbits had done, Neil held Pipkin in front of him, so he could look at him straight in the eyes.

"Listen to me Hlao; you listen very carefully now, alright?" Pipkin nodded, as Neil stared at him with firm, yet kind eyes "Whatever those two rat-faced scoundrels were telling you, is utter nonsense. Toadflax has had a grudge against me since I came here and doesn't have the courage to face me. You may not realise it yet son, but you're worth more that those two put together, both in heart and courage. Some day, you'll understand what I mean." Pipkin stared at Neil, surprised; nobody had ever praised him with such admiration before and he and Neil barely knew each other. Behind the bushes, Toadflax and Scabious watched with sickening scorn "I'll give that wretched oaf what for, if it's the last thing I ever do!"

***

Toadflax's intense desire for revenge was presented with an opportunity only a few days later. One morning, before anyone was out for silflay, Scabious met with Toadflax at the guard post. "I found something interesting back there; you better come and see." He led Toadflax to a patch of brambles, just beyond the boundaries of the warren. Buried under some dry leaves, the rusted outline of a jawed snare was visible. "What is this?" Scabious asked, as he bent to butt the catch with his forepaw. Toadflax roughly held him back "Watch it, you idiot! You touch that and it'll take your leg off!"

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a trap, you fool! Those embleer humans put it there," Toadflax hissed, backing away, Neil's description of snares fresh in his mind. As he pictured the awful predicament of a rabbit getting trapped in one of these, the wheels in his head turned with an evil idea "Suppose a certain rabbit was to stumble into one of those? Suppose it was that interfering, know-it-all, insufferable oaf of a rabbit Neil? By Frith, wouldn't that make him…incapable of fulfilling his duties as an Owsla officer?" He burst out laughing evilly, before turning to Scabious. "Grab an end of that stray peg; we are taking this back to the warren!" Scabious looked horrified "What in Frith's name, do you want that terrible thing for?"

"Because, turnip-head," Toadflax replied in a sickly sweet tone "this terrible thing is going to deliver a fitting fate to that great oaf that's ruined our lives. Soon or later, he is bound to walk into it. Either he or one of his outskirter friends perhaps…Whoever gets it, he is bound to take the blame, being the only one who knows all about them and thus its his responsibility to prevent this from happening. He is going down for sure this time!"

Scabious dragged the snare back towards the warren, while Toadflax made sure they weren't being watched by any prying eyes. After bringing the snare to a secluded spot, where Neil usually walked in the evenings after patrol duty, they covered it with leaves and dirt and left it. The deadly trap lay there, waiting to snare some unsuspecting victim.

***

Neil had found that having friends among the outsiders indeed had its rewards. Since he knew very little of the rabbit world, the outskirters had been very willing to help him out. Through Hazel, Fiver, Pipkin and Blackberry, Neil soon mastered his command of the Lapine language and his knowledge of rabbit religion and customs. In addition, through Dandelion's storytelling, Neil had learned a great deal of this new world, it's history and mythology. Although, he knew a great deal of it was based on folklore and superstitions, it was still very interesting and pleasant to listen to. Bluebell, who was the group's jokester rabbit with a clown's sense of humour as well as a gift for storytelling, not unlike that of Dandelion's, was also a very pleasant chap. Buckthorn, who was a fellow Owsla trooper, had offered to teach Neil Bobstones, some sort of guessing game, where Buckthorn was leading champion. At first Neil had been helpless against Buckthorn, but his skills slowly improved.

As a token of gratitude for their help and support, Neil had offered to teach them everything he knew from the human world. Many of the rabbits had been very interested in the idea of learning the secrets of the 'mysterious human world'. Thus, aside from telling them all the stories he could remember from school and from all the literature he used to read as a child, Neil also stared teaching them sign language, something he had learned from his deaf mother, claiming it was how he used to communicate with his old master. Amazingly enough, he found that being one of them, made it much easier, in contrast to training a rabbit in his human form. Even a few of the Owsla such as Silver, Bigwig, Speedwell and Buckthorn often participated, having no problem of interacting with the outskirters. Neil taught them lots and, through his tutoring, was able to dispel many superstitious fears and beliefs, while broadening the minds of many of the rabbits. However, there was one secret that he had decided he couldn't risk sharing with them, the fact that he was in fact a human reincarnated into a rabbit.

After living at Sandleford for two months, Neil had succeeded in training half the outskirters in using sign language, among other human skills. By that time, he had finally accepted the fact that he was to remain a rabbit for the rest of his life and he might as well make the most of it. Although deep down, he knew the Thearah and some others in the Owsla were wary of him because of his knowledge of the human world, Neil made sure to always keep them impressed and thus remain in their good books at all times.

After being promoted to Owsla officer, Neil had been given his own sleeping quarters, a circular burrow, close to Silver's. Although it was warm and dry, Neil needed some time to adjust to the 'comforts' of rabbit accommodation. There were no electricity, no coffee, sugar, tobacco, soap or any of the basic comforts that made human life bearable. As for furnishings and fashion, there was nothing but the straw bedding that covered the burrow floor. Although, having a rabbit's body meant such things weren't needed any longer, it still made the unaccustomed Neil a bit troubled at first. By his second month at Sandleford, he had finally adjusted.

Other than that and the irritation that Toadflax was giving him, Neil saw his new life as a god-sent miracle. True, there were a few things he missed from his previous life such as his old friends, going to movies, having drinks at the pub, watching Frank Gifford's football matches on television and all his other old habits that he could no longer continue. However, he felt that with everything he had gained with this new life, he could gladly part with his previous one.

By his third month at Sandleford, Neil had finally learned properly, how to survive as a rabbit. By this time, any rabbit could think he was born a rabbit, since he had a perfect command of Lapine language, Owsla fighting skills and even Bobstones. Combined with his human knowledge, he was considered one of the best bucks at Sandleford and was highly respected and loved, both among the Owsla and the outskirters. However, there was one particular event that occurred in early August, one that would change their lives forever…

Author's note: Neil has finally built his new life, while Toadflax wants to ruin it for him. Coming up next, we enter the timeline of the book, but with major twists, because of Toadflax's scheme with the trap…Do enjoy and please review so I can update faster! Thank you!


End file.
